Vancouver Mayor Pushes for Housing Deal with Ottawa

0:00It's April 2nd. Welcome in. This is Vancouver News Today, where local news meets AI. Vancouver Mayor Ken Simm is pushing British Columbia's province to cut a deal with Ottawa, just like the federal government did with Ontario earlier. This week, that Ontario agreement sees both levels committing $4.4 billion each over 10 years to fund infrastructure and slash development, charges that slow down new housing projects. Sim made the call during a Thursday press conference, saying the province needs to match federal dollars one for one to let cities drop these fees. Development charges cover essentials like water, sewers, parks, and childcare. But they jack up costs for builders install homes from getting. Built? Vancouver already sliced its own charges by 20% to keep projects moving, but the Metro Vancouver Regional District stepped in with massive. Hikes, triple digits in some cases, wiping out those gains. The deputy mayor Sarah Kirby Young called it unhelpful, saying it eats up the city's

1:00efforts. B.C. Housing Minister Christine Boyle responded positively, noting they're crafting a homegrown program with Ottawa to tackle these charges while. Supporting local governments Metro Vancouver says the increases dodge higher property taxes and might ease up on planned jumps for 2026 and 2027. With housing crunch biting hard, eyes are on whether B.C. steps up soon or a Vancouver goes straight to Ottawa for the when Vancouver rights need.